WEBVTT EDEBRI.THE EUTAW STREET PIPE BURST SENTA STEADY PLUME OF STEAM, DIRT,MUD AND CHUNKS OF ASPHALT SOME50 FEET IN THE AIR.AND CAME WITH AN OMINOUSWARNING.THE SIDEWALK AND STREET BECAMEHOT,THEN WITNESSES HEARD ANEXPLOSION.>> IT JUST BLEW UP,BOOM.IT HIT THE FRONT OF THE CAR WETRIED TO BACK UP TO GET OUT OFTHE WAY BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THEGROUND WAS GOING TO OPEN UP.REPORTER: CYRILL BELL JUST FEETAWAY IN THE PROCESS OF PICKINGUP HIS WIFE THAT'S HIS VEHICLE.ALL COVERED IN DIRT, MUD AND WHOKNOWS WHAT ELSE.WORK CREWS WON'T LET HIM DRIVEIT HOME.>> SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT RUNNINGTESTS TO SEE IF THERE IS SOMEKIND OF CHEMICALS OR SOMETHING.REPORTER: THE STEAM PIPE ANDSYSTEM IS OWNED BY VEOLIA NORTHAMERICA.THE COMPANY OPERATES THEBALTIMORE DISTRICT ENERGYNETWORK PROVIDING STEAM, HOT ANDCHILLED WATER TO 255 CUSTOMERSDOWNTOWN.THAT SERVICE REMAINS SHUT OFF.THE STEAM PIPE RUPTURE HURT 5PEOPLE INCLUDING VENDOR JOSHUAANDERSON.HIS WATER AND PEANUT CART LEFTABANDONED.DEBRIS RAINED DOWN ON HIM.>> IT JUST HIT ME ON MY BACKELBOW AND ALL THAT YOU KNOW.REPORTER: WORK CREWS PUT ABARRIER AROUND THE SITE.AS SCORES OF PEOPLE STOPPED BYTO TAKE PICTURES.COMPANY OFFICIALS SAY CREWS WILLFIRST EXCAVATE THE SITE BEFORACCESSING THE STEAM LINE TODETERMINE A CAUSE.THE COMPANY ISSUED A STATEMENTON THE INVESTIGATION SAYING VEOLIA HAS A RIGOROUS INSPECTIONAND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM TOIDENTIFY ISSUES WITHIN THENETWORK BEFORE THEY OCCUR.WE WILL INVESTIGATE TO DETERMINEWHY THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENTOCCURRED AND TAKE ANY NECESSARYACTION BASED ON THE FINDINGS.MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH GIVINGCREDIT TO THE FIRE DEPT'S QUICKRESPONSE.>> THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A REALLYSEVERE PROBLEM.FIVE PEOPLE BEING INJURED ANDSTILL BEING REPORTED WITH MINORINJURIES, COULD HAVE BEEN MUCHWORSE.REPORTER: THEY FOUND LOW LEVELSOF THIS PESTIS IN THE AIR.NOTHING HIGH.THEY EXPECT THE INVESTIGATION TOTAKE SEVEN TO 10 DAYS ONCE THEYGET INTO THE GROUND.THE MAYOR SAYS THERE ARE NOOTHER PLANS TO EXAMINE STEAMPIPES.REPORTING LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN.

Crews secure steam pipe explosion site, investigate cause

5 injured after steam pipe explodes in downtown Baltimore Tuesday

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Updated: 8:40 PM PDT Jun 21, 2017

BALTIMORE —

Five people are recovering from injuries after a steam pipe explosion Tuesday night in downtown Baltimore.

A 12-inch steam line burst through the pavement on Eutaw Street, sending a plume of steam and debris --including chunks of asphalt -- about 50 feet into the air. The upper-floor windows of the Marriott hotel looked drenched in dirt but not broken. Repair being handled by a private company that owns the steam pipe is slow.

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Cyril Bell is beyond frustrated. His vehicle is all covered in dirt, mud and who knows what else. He stood just feet away during the explosion, picking up his wife from work when it happened.

"It just blew up, 'boom.' It hit the front of the car. We tried to back up to get out of the way because we thought the ground was going to open up," Bell said.

Bell said he's not being allowed to get to his car.

"Something about running tests to see if there is some kind of chemicals or something," Bell said.

The explosion is under investigation by Veolia North America. The company owns and operates the Baltimore district energy network, providing steam and hot and chilled water to 255 customers downtown. That service remains shut off.

In addition to vehicles on the street, there's a cart left behind by Joshua Anderson, who has been selling water and peanuts outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards for 13 years. The explosion injured him and four others.

"It just hit me on my back, elbow and all that, you know?" Anderson said.

Work crews spent much of the day putting a barrier around the site but didn't finish before many people stopped by to take pictures of the area.

According to company officials, crews will first excavate the site before accessing the steam line to determine a cause of the explosion.

Mayor Catherine Pugh said the steam pipes are not as old as others in the city's aging infrastructure.

"This is not that old, a system that's carrying the steam, so I don't think we are in danger of steam pipes exploding all over the city," Pugh said.

The company said it found low levels of asbestos in the air, and they expect the investigation to take anywhere from seven to 10 days once they get into the ground.

The mayor said there are no other plans to investigate other steam pipes until this investigation is complete.

Veolia released a statement Wednesday to 11 News, saying:

"Our normal safety and environmental procedure is to perform environmental testing of the air, debris and mud after a steam release. We do this because of the potential age of the steam pipe and possible use of asbestos insulation.

"Air quality has come back normal; negative for any airborne pollutants. However, we will continue to monitor air quality for the duration of the cleanup.

"Initial environmental testing at the site of the break indicates a low level asbestos reading. We're still awaiting results related to pollutants in the mud and debris in the affected area. Out of abundance of caution and in order to expedite the cleaning of the area, we're treating the situation as a remediation action, which requires specialized cleaning techniques, until we can confirm the area is not contaminated. Cleaning and remediation of cars and doorways has begun.

"Full cleanup and remediation of the site will likely take several days. Any car owners or business owners with damaged property should contact Thomas J. Little, 262-785-4804, Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc.

"Typical actions during this type of investigation may include the following steps:

Take a sample of the pipe and send to a third party expert for metallurgy evaluation, which takes 7-10 days complete.

Review operations actions related to this section of pipe, both recent and historical.

Review maintenance records and pipe performance in this area.

"Once we understand the issue, we will take any necessary action based on the findings -- mechanical or operational. We are taking this matter very seriously. Once we determine the root cause, we will take corrective actions to avoid future instances."